Adjustable belt



Dec. 15, 1959 Filed Feb. 27. 1956 M. J. SOBEL ADJUSTABLE BELT FIG.2

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Morton J. Sobel ATTORNEY Dec. 15, 1959 Filed Feb. 27. 1956 M. J. SOBEL 2,916,742

ADJUSTABLE BELT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 7

VENTOR- Mo fon ATTORNEY United States Patent ADJUSTABLE BELT Morton J. S obel, Roslyn, N.Y.

Application February 27, 1956, Serial No. 568,102

4 Claims. (Cl. 2-322) waist lengths, such as 36,'38, 40, for example,

with some adjustment as to tightness or looseness being provided by adjustable positioning of the buckle along the free end of the belt. In the case of belts having a ,f :free end formed with a series of holes to receive a tongue or stud on the belt, the belt size is determined by the distance between the outermost cross bar of the buckle :and the intermediate hole of the series, the number of -;holes usually being five and the length being measured to the middle or third hole.

To provide an adequate selection for customers with different waist lengths, a belt purveyor must stock a large number of different sizes of belts, as the amount of adjustment in any given size of belt, due to adjustment of the free end relative to the buckle, is insufiicient to more than just barely accommodate the next size below or above such given size without there being either 'an excessive length of the belt free end projecting through the buckle or, alternatively, the free end just barely extending into operative relation with the buckle. While various means have been suggested for making belts adjustable in length, none have found commercial acceptance.

In accordance with the present invention, a belt is made to accommodate three or more given sizes by providing means on the buckle end for selectively and adjustably positioning the buckle at three or more set distances from the free end of the belt. For example, one belt can be readily adjusted or pre-set so as to be a size 38, size 4 0, size 36, and size 42, for example. Thereby the number of different sizes of belts required to be stocked is sharply reduced, such as by 75 percent or more.

More specifically, such adjustment as to size is provided by alternating male and female fastener elements arranged in alignment and preferably medially along the buckle end of the belt, with the first fastener element :near the outer end of such buckle end of the belt and preferably a female element. The fastener elements are at pre-set substantially equal distances from each other ;so that, when the buckle end is inserted through a buck- .le and folded back on itself, engagement of a fastener element on the folded back portion with a mating fasten- -er element on the flat portion will set the buckle at a pre-set distance from the free end of the belt to adjust the belt at a pre-set size.

Thus, with four snap fastener elements in male-fe- :male alternation, three size adjustments are provided. With six elements, for example, five sizes are provided, etc. The usual loop for receiving the folded belt end tener elements.

ice

may be locked between two pairs of interengaged fas- The adjustment featureis useable with any of the three jewelry or box buckles) and witheither a straight or a contour (taper) belt.

For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the following description of typical embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are inside elevation views of the buckle ends of belts embodying the invention;

Figs. 3, 5 and 7 are top plan views of the belt of Fig. 2 with a stud buckle attached thereto in the long, intermediate, and short position of the belt, respectively;

Figs. 4, 6 and 8 are inside elevation views of the belt of Fig. 2, corresponding respectively to Figs. 3, 5 and 7;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the belt of Fig. 2 with the free end locked around the loop;

Fig. 10 is an inside elevation view corresponding to Fig. 9; and

Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate the belt as used with a' tongue and box buckle, respectively.

Referring to Fig. 1, a straight" belt 10,in accord-' ance with the invention, is illustrated as provided with a series of alternating female and male fastener elements 1116 arranged at equal spaced intervals medially of the buckle end 17 of the belt. Belt 10 may be of any suitable material, such as natural or artificial leather, cloth, or plastic composition material, and the snap fastener elements 1116 may extend completely through the belt or may have their outer ends concealed. The operative ends of the fastener elements are exposed on the inner side of the belt. In the usual manner, belt 10 may have a loop 18 thereon.

For the purposes of the invention, alternate snap fastener elements 11, 13, 15 may be female elements and intermediate snap fastener elements 12, 14, 16 may be male elements, or vice versa. Also, while six fastener elements are illustrated, less than this number, for example four, or more than six may be used. With four fastener elements, the belt has three adjusted lengths, as will appear, and six fastener elements provide for five adjusted lengths of the belt.

Fig. 2 illustrates a contour or taper belt 10' differing from belt 10 only in that the buckle end 17' is narrower than the remainder of the belt.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the belt 10' as adjusted for its longest length. In this case, belt end 17 is passed through a stu buckle 20 and looped around the inner end 21 of the buckle. Snap fastener element 11 is engaged with snap fastener element 12 so that a minimum length of end 17 is folded back on itself.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate belt 10 as adjusted to the next smaller waist size. Fastener elements 11 and 12 are engaged with fastener elements 14 and 13, respectively, and loop 18 may be locked between engaged fasteners 12- 13 and 1114.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate belt 10 as adjusted to its smallest size. In this position of the belt, fastener elements 15 and 16 are interengaged with folded end 17' extended through loop 18. In the position of Figs. 9 and 10, the extreme end of end 17 is folded back underneath itself through loop 18, and fasteners 11 and 13 engaged with fasteners Hand 14, respectively.

The belt may be used with other types of buckles such as a tongue or box buckle. In Fig. 11, belt 10" is shown as having short slots 22 between adjacent snap fastener elements to receive the tongue 32 of a tongue buckle 30 whose inner bar 31 is received in the belt oop.

tion of the invention principles, it will be understood that,

the inventionmay 'beHembodied, otherwise, Without departing from such, principles.

What is claimed:

1. An adjustable belt comprising, in combination, an elongated strip of,belt.material having abuckle end and a1.free end; a.plura1ity of interengageable male and female ,fastener. elements aligned, in alternation, longitudinally along the buckle end of the belt; and a buckle secured in .the bight formed by foldingsaid buckle end on itself and interengaging selected longitudinally adjacent mating male ,and female elements of said fastener elements; theeifective length of the belt being adjustable, as to .the distance of the buckle from, the free end of thebelt, in accordance with the selected distances of the interengaged longitudinally adjacent matingfastenerelementsrfrom the buckle end of the belt.

2. An adjustable belt as claimed in claim 1 in which saidbuckle is atongue buckle and said belt has relatively elongated tongue receiving slots between adjacent elements of said fastener elements.

3. An adjustable belt as claimed in claim 1 including arloop .securable in adjusted position. by said elements. 4. An adjustable belt comprising, in combination, an

elongated strip of belt material havinga buckle end and.

a free end; a plurality of interengageable male and *fe male fastener elements aligned, in substantially equi-' spaced relation and in alternation, longitudinally along the buckle end of the belt; a buckle secured in the bight formed by folding said buckle end on itself and interengaging selected longitudinally adjacent mating male and female elements of said fastener elements; the efiective length of the belt being adjustable, as to the distance of the buckle from thereeend of the-belt, in accordance with the selected distances of the interengaged longitudinally adjacent matingfastener elements from the buckle end of the belt.

References Citedin the -file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 695,549 Garland Mar. 18, 1902 823,534 Hutchinson June 19, 1906 1,490,941 Sachs, Apr. 22,1924. 1,622,954 Macheroux Mar. 29, 1927; 1,792,158 Gleckner Feb. 10, 1931 1,833,175, Pollock Nov. 24, 1931' 1,878,048v Wheeler Sept. 20, 1932 2,200,090 Konski May 7, 1940. 2,247,835 Gassert July 1, 19.41 2,349,264 Grice May 23, 1944v FOREIGN PATENTS 20,622 Great Britain 02251903? 

